The director of FLEX Studio, Heather Thomas Shalabi, breaks down intelligent movement—the fastest route to reaching your fitness goals
If you find yourself repeatedly falling short of your fitness goals or struggling to hit a target you’ve set for yourself (despite having a more-than-reasonable time frame), you might have been approaching exercise the wrong way.
“Peak performance comes from intelligence,” says Flex Studio’s director and co-founder, Heather Thomas Shalabi. “It’s about putting thought behind your physical training.”
Below, she shares her thoughts on “intelligent movement”—the most energy efficient way to build and tone muscle—and how to incorporate it into your fitness routine.
What exactly is intelligent movement?
Intelligent movement is a new direction fitness has taken among athletes, coaches, trainers and high performers in the industry. They've basically realised that peak performance comes not only from rigorous application and physical dedication but also intelligence.
Is it a specific fitness discipline?
Not exactly. Rather, it’s an overall approach to one’s body. It's about channelling one’s intellectual capacity into the body to achieve specific goals. That’s something that Pilates and yoga have always known and done, traditionally.
However, any serious athlete will attest that superior physical performance in any sport requires extreme mental focus and a deep connection to the body.